I don't taste much lemon, but I do get the sweet and citrus notes. Nice and fairly cool burning, it's good as a mixer and good on it's own. I think it'd be boring if it was all you smoked, but once a day won't hurt any. It's not special nor is it bad. It's just a nice, pleasant tasting smoke that gives just enough of what you want in a tobacco. I also enjoy adding just a little to a bland Virginia to pep up the flavor. It does well at that. Really deserves two and half stars, and perhaps its versatility bumps it up to three, but grading it on its own, I have to rate it at two stars.

I tend to like stronger tobacco so this is not something I find too interesting unless used a base, which it is perfect for. It mellows out the strongest of tobaccos; adds a great lemony room note and mildly sweet flavor. It's moist out of the bag, so it needs about 15 mins to dry or it will bite. It packs easily, burns slowly and evenly.

Here's just a few ideas for ECR: 1/3 + anything strong, say 1792 etc, + some lat, or oriental. Just play around with it. Alone it is somewhat boring, but used as a mellow base, it's great stuff.

I'll end my urging everyone to start blending your own. When you get to the point to where you like what you're producing yourselves; you will no doubt stop buying as many tins that cost so darn much. I have found that the blends I now mix myself tend to satisfy my taste buds far more and cost far less. Just an idea, and this good base is a good start.

Nice looking very fine ribbon of bright virginia tobacco. The bag aroma is pretty non-descript, which makes sense since this is sold as a blending tobacco. I like the description about this providing "color" to home blends, because it certainly doesn't provide much taste.

Like a similar blender, the venerable Ogden's Gold Block, this is a very light tasting VA with decent body. The flavor is cigarette-ish but not heavily so. Very faint citrus flavor but I had to work for it. I actually got a bit of a burley flavor but also very slight. Not much to say about the flavor of this smoked straight. As a blender, it didn't do much, either. The only time it seemed to do much was as an addition to a straight unflavored burley, and it made it very slightley sweeter. It might also work to cut down the strength of a too-heavy blend but I had no success with that when I tried it. Quite frankly, if I were going to blend with this, I'd probably case it with something... which probably defeats its purpose. Just not much to say about this one. If you regularly use Gold Block in blending, buy this and save money.

Nice blender, reasonable in price, and just fine for smoking on its own. There is none of the famous McClelland vinegar here, just a simple, easy to pack (or blend) fine ribbon. This tobacco has a very basic taste and fine cut, so it could easily be used for RYO. I have smoked it straight, and gotten good results. I have blended it with a couple SGs, Navy Flake and Special #6, to start with. I feel you could easily blend this with about anything, it makes an excellent base. Again, a very basic taste, so don't expect an explosion on your palate if you smoke it alone, but very pleasant.

This bulk offering is perfect by itself or for blending. Smooth tasty smoke which has a distinct citrus smell in the bag with the same flavor in the taste and room note. My sample was the perfect moisture, springy and burned easily. Since I love to blend my own this is a welcome addition. Mix with McClelland Latakia and Perique, some 5100, and you have a base blend as good as any on the market.

Also use it to lighten up some of the blends like Mac Baren Mixture. Overall a great mixer and very tasty on its own. Smooth and sweet.

This is my favorite type of tobacco. Very bright colored, lights and stays lit. It has a long stringy cut, no clumps or moist pressed junk. The perfect tobacco for my type of smoking. This is now my new go to brand.

Bulk: Not bright at all, a slight variation in color from brown to light brown,remniscent of fragrant cigarettes or cigars; medium to long ribbon cut. Dry but supple leaving no residue on the fingers.

Packing & Burning: Easily overpacked resulting in a minimal draw. Having long ribbon, it burns quickly.

TAste & Aroma: Not very lemony or sweet, more like fragrant cigarettes, like the smell in the bag.

Nicotine: Mild to medium

Room Note: Tolerable to strong

Overall: ECR is a blending tobacco and not what I was expecting from New Belt tobacco which is supposed to be the lightest of Virginias, lemony or bright yellow, the highest sugar content, with a lemony sweetness. 2.4 stars.